Instagram is now testing a new feature — hiding of likes count and video views. It means that users soon will not be able to see how many likes posts of other users get. Though, we still can see how many likes our own posts have. Instagram representatives say that such an update was introduced to make Instagram a more positive place and to get rid of the vanity metrics.
The feature is by far implemented in 7 countries — Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. Though, likes count can still be seen on the desktop version.
But what does likes hiding actually mean and why do we get it wrong?
Hiding of likes count means literally just hiding of the metrics. Likes will still be a part of Instagram algorithms, have an impact on the engagement rate and your page promotion. But let’s talk about it a bit more specifically.
Myth 1. My posts will no longer appear on the Explore Page.
Wrong. Likes are not eliminated completely. They’ll still be visible under your own posts, will influence Instagram algorithms and hence, promotion of the accounts. Combin will help you with this by organic and safe grow of your page. So please, don’t stop liking! By doing this inside Combin app, you’ll be able to promote your Instagram page quickly and effectively. Quality content will get as much reach and engagement as it did before.
Myth 2. Now I don’t know if this influencer is good for me!
Well, good news then. Likes are not the one and only metrics you need if you want to figure out whether some influencer helps you get more clients. Before asking the price for promo posts, check the blogger’s ER or ask them to send their account statistics.
Checking the number of likes alone has never been a good idea. Number of followers is not a good indicator either. What are you gonna do if Instagram hides followers count as well, huh? (Rumor has it, it already does).
Myth 3. No one’s gonna react to my posts.
Not exactly. As Instagram representatives say, “we want your friends to focus on the photos and videos you share, not how many likes they get”. With this feature, users finally have a chance to decide whether the content is actually good and worth reacting.
Now your content has more chances to be noticed, saved and shared because people will see, well, the content itself, not the likes count under it. Get the most out of it! Because of this feature, fake likes will also become old news for those who love such tricky ways of promotion.
What does it mean for brands?
Mainly, likes hiding means that now marketers should change their promotion strategies a little. Since these metrics are visible for the publisher only, it’s better to focus on ads in Stories or IGTV rather that regular feed posts. But you still can use hashtag search, geo tags, commenting, and other ways of safe promotion, remember?
Cooperation with influencers becomes a bit more complicated as well. Now brands will have to thoroughly check if the blogger is worth spending time and money for. By the way, this issue is discussed in detail on one of our webinars.
Another important thing for those businesses who buy paid ads on Instagram. Likes hiding is more of a helper for you because ad posts in the feed don’t usually get huge amount of likes. This thing influences your potential clients, make them doubt and choose other brands — often your competitors who use bloggers for promotion. If you’re used to paid ads, now it’s the wrong time to give them up.
After the feature is completely implemented, your paid posts will highly likely have a higher click through rate, better reach and engagement.
What does it mean for influencers?
Your engagement rate and popularity will hardly destroyed but your income really may decrease a bit. With likes hiding, Instagram makes you equal to paid ads on this playing field, so brands may now start choosing advertising.
Hiding of likes count may be a problem for aspiring bloggers since it won’t be easy for brands to notice them. Regular users will start liking less because they already now believe that there’s no point in that. If you’re a beginner in all that blogging thing and you want to grow your account now, Combin will offer you lots of organic and safe promotion ways.
So, what should you know about likes hiding?
It won’t change that much for your business. Focus on the content you make, keep in touch with your consumers, choose right ads placements, influencers and apps for organic promotion. Thus, your marketing strategy will work well and pump more money to your business.